


Who Was Neal Caffrey?

by Quinis



Category: Chuck (TV), White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 15:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7763182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Chuck stepped through the door and his eyes locked on the one person of the room who he recognised but who shouldn't have been there.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>He was staring at Bryce, his brain quickly calculating that he was right and wrong and filling in the gaps in his theories. It was one of his original two suspects, but not Mozzie. He decided that he was going to blow Bryce's cover.</em>
</p><p>Neal's commutation is coming up and Hughes is not impressed with the way his office seems to be turning into a war zone. He calls in a few favours to get an independent team. It goes better than expected, for everyone except Kramer (someone should have stopped Neal Caffrey the first time around, for his sake... maybe).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who Was Neal Caffrey?

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: This is an idea that got a little out of hand. I've been working on it all week, which is why none of my other stories updated. Instead, you get a super-long one shot about a Bryce Larkin who works as CI at the FBI, was Nick Halden in the past but was not Neal Caffrey (even if they call him that now).

 

**Who Was Neal Caffrey?**

* * *

During one class break at Stanford, Chuck and Bryce decided to try the travelling student thing. Somehow, they ended up in New York.

New York was quite an interesting city. Chuck loved all the technology stuff he could get his hands on. Bryce found he loved the art of the city. It got to the point where Chuck threatened to hurt Bryce if he took him to another museum.

Bryce knew Chuck didn't really mind. Chuck had strange habits and the museums helped hone them. The moment they entered a museum, Chuck could tell him where all the cameras were. He could even explain the technology and measures that the museum was going to in order to protect their displays.

It was a game that Chuck had played with his sister. At certain times, their father would take them out on a day trip and their job was to spot and avoid all surveillance. Be it melding into a crowd or avoiding cameras, Chuck and his sister were always trying to outdo each other.

Chuck imparted some of those skills to Bryce. They would enter a building and Chuck would point out all the cameras, how to avoid them and what type they were. He knew their weakness and strengths and, eventually, Bryce picked up on that knowledge to.

But, Chuck also made a mistake while in New York. They got so caught up in the city and the amount of interaction and information contained within it that Chuck got his hands on a computer and got curious about something he had heard on the streets.

Chuck didn't have a good understanding of consequences as he rarely got caught doing the wrong thing, which meant he didn't think twice about hacking into the FBI.

That got him onto the FBI radar, just the FBI radar.

There were FBI agents on their trail, tracking them.

Being college students who had just made a little mistake, Bryce and Chuck should have owned up to it. They should have. But, honestly, they still didn't expect to get caught. Being college students who could not afford to be arrested, Bryce and Chuck stayed in New York but created new identities for themselves until they could leave.

Bryce forged bonds for some quick cash. He didn't expect to get noticed. He didn't expect to meet Mozzie.

Different to how Bryce would tell the story to a curious FBI agent in the future, he was not Neal Caffrey. In the beginning, Bryce Larkin only used the identity of _Nick Halden_.

Neal Caffrey and Nick Halden were two different people. Chuck took the name _Neal Caffrey_.

They were a three man team.

Mozzie was the information specialist. Chuck was the computer expert and hacker. Bryce was the charmer whose job was to be the face of their operations.

For the longest time, Chuck believed that this was the reason Bryce got him kicked out of Stanford. Because Chuck knew about the crimes they had committed.

Even Adler made the mistake of believing that Neal and Nick were the same.

But it couldn't last forever. Especially with the FBI on Neal Caffrey's heels. They thought it was Bryce and no one was going to correct them; Chuck might of but he didn't get a choice in the matter. When the FBI started looking too closely at Burbank, Bryce eventually let himself get arrested. He needed the FBI to believe they had Neal so they wouldn't find Chuck and the easiest way to do that was to close Neal's case.

Thankfully, the never connected the hacker known as 'the Piranha' to Neal and Bryce only went down for what were actually his crimes; Nick's crimes attributed to Neal Caffrey.

Fast forward to years later and Bryce vanished into being Neal after 'dying'. It gave Chuck the chance to find him, if he ever bothered to look. But, Chuck never looked because he believed Bryce was dead.

* * *

Carmichael Industries was doing well. Decker and Shaw were gone and Chuck and Sarah had mended their relationship.

Beckman contracted them for a job.

"Excellent!" Morgan cheered.

"Don't celebrate just yet. I was contacted into order to help an old friend find an independent team to look into a criminal in New York, who is being considered for commutation."

"What's that?" Morgan questioned.

"Basically, they want to know if they should go free or not," Sarah explained to him.

Beckman nodded. "The criminal in question has over two years left on his sentence-"

Casey made a disappointed grunt. "Why can't they just keep them for two years and get rid of them then? Save us a trip?" Casey received a couple of glares for that. "What?"

Morgan rolled his eyes, mouthing 'of course'. Casey probably didn't want to go to New York. Sarah shook her head.

"Then you can just stay here," Chuck informed him. Then he asked Beckman who the criminal was.

Beckman sorted through some papers before pausing and reading, "Neal Caffrey."

Chuck paused.

"Did you flash?" Sarah asked.

"Are you sure that's the name?" Chuck asked. He was standing right here, a free man.

"It's the name I have here," she responded, pressing a few buttons on her side. The information popped up on the screen.

There were no pictures, so Chuck couldn't be sure who was using his old New York ID but he was interested to see that most of the crimes Neal was suspected of were actually Nick's crimes.

Bryce would have loved that, Chuck thought sadly. One last con on the FBI. He was just glad that the FBI hadn't connected Neal and the Piranha even though they seemed to think that Neal Caffrey and Nick Halden were the same person.

Chuck felt that he needed to clarify this.

"This is all well and good but I don't think these crimes were done by Neal Caffrey."

"How do you know that?" Beckman asked.

"Did you flash?" Casey echoed Sarah's earlier, ignored, question.

"Neal Caffrey and Nick Halden are two different people," Chuck explained.

Beckman looked through the information again.

"I don't see any information indicating as such," she mused, "and the person I got this information from is a reliable source." She noticed Chuck's frown. "How about you go and check out the situation for yourselves?" Then she hung up.

"I guess we have our mission," Sarah summed up with a curious look at Chuck.

"New York, New York!" Morgan chimed with a wide grin. Casey grunted unhappily.

* * *

Hughes did not mince words. He was as straightforward as he could be as he called Peter and Neal into his office.

"I don't like how Kramer is approaching his 'investigation'," he stated. Neal was surprised. He had thought that just being FBI would be enough that everyone in the office would let Kramer do whatever he felt was right. "So I've called in a favour to get an independent group to look into Neal."

"Sir?" Neal questioned, shocked.

"Reese, this isn't necessary-"

Hughes fixed Peter with a strong look. "And I am just to let you and Kramer split the office into factions over Neal's commutation? You are not lawyers. This is not a battle to see who can create the best argument on what should happen in Neal's future. It's about whether Neal has served his sentence and whether he should go free."

"And it is," Peter responded.

Neal remained silent. He wondered if Peter realised he and Kramer were drawing lines in the sand. They both wanted different things from this commutation and most of the office had noticed that. It wasn't hard to notice since Kramer didn't seem to be returning to DC anytime soon.

Hughes looked over to Neal. "Do you have any opposition to this?"

Neal didn't like the idea. He worried about other people taking a look at his case. He was always worried that they would figure out what was probably his greatest con of all.

Neal Caffrey wasn't his.

He just shrugged.

"Good to know since I've already made the arrangements," Hughes said.

Peter frowned but chose not to say anything against the decision. "Can we at least know who you've hired?"

"I went through a third party. That information won't be given to me until I hear back," Hughes responded.

Outside the office, Peter muttered something that sounded like, 'that figures'. Neal was enjoying the sight of a disgruntled Peter.

"It can't be that bad," Neal hummed.

"Hughes has contacts in the NSA. 'Third party' generally refers to them."

Neal paused as images of guns pointed at him and Casey's smug smile flashed in his head. "NSA?" worry tinted the letters.

"Like you said, it can't be that bad." Not even Peter sounded like he believed himself.

* * *

Hughes had called a meeting the day his independent team was due to turn up. Neal had his rubber-band ball and had been tossing it from the moment he sat down.

He was nervous. It was just him, Hughes and Peter.

"They're here," Jones said, poking his head into the room.

Peter gave Neal a sympathetic look as he sucked in a breath.

* * *

Being back in New York was strange. All Chuck could think of was the last time he had been here.

He wondered where Mozzie was or if the little guy knew who had stolen 'Neal Caffrey'.

Sarah took charge as they stepped out of the elevator, walking up to the nearest agent and requesting to be taken to meet with Reese Hughes. Hughes had worked with Beckman a few times and she respected him enough to pay their bill herself, including their flights from Burbank to New York City.

Chuck hadn't shared any of his thoughts or worries about this case, even though his team had tried to get him to tell them. Sarah was especially worried about him.

But, Chuck had no idea what was going on. The FBI believed Nick and Neal to be one and the same and someone was here playing Neal, although arrested for Nick's crimes.

* * *

While Chuck had no idea who took his identity as Neal, there were only two people who knew enough about Neal to be able to do it. One was Bryce Larkin who was dead.

The other was Mozzie. Chuck didn't know what would make Mozzie work with the FBI, let alone be arrested. However, things he didn't know about could have happened and he wasn't ready to discount Mozzie having some involvement in this.

"You guys get the files and the information for this while I go up and meet the criminal in question," Chuck said to his team.

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked with a worried expression.

Chuck grinned. "Perfectly. It'll be fine. Besides, he's non-violent." And Chuck was really hoping that whomever was masquerading as Neal kept that part of his personality.

The agent Clinton Jones, offered to take Chuck up to meet Neal Caffrey and his bosses, one being Special Agent Peter Burke.

Chuck just managed to hold back from mentioning that he knew Agent Burke. He was impressed with the guy but, not to the level Bryce had been. Which was probably good for Agent Burke. Bryce had loved toying with him.

Chuck followed Jones up and entered after the agent announced him.

* * *

**Then**

"Brooks Brothers suit. That means Fed. Talking to the bank manager. We gotta go." Mozzie glanced back at Nick.

Nick saw the man talking to the manager. They couldn't leave. Chuck was inside, cashing another of the bonds. If someone raised the alarm… he wasn't going to let them arrest Chuck.

"Never met a Fed before," he said confidently. He was the face of their threesome and quite willing to put himself on the line for his friend.

* * *

**Now**

Chuck stepped through the door and his eyes locked on the one person of the room who he recognised but who shouldn't have been there.

He was staring at Bryce, his brain quickly calculating that he was right and wrong and filling in the gaps in his theories. It was one of his original two suspects, but not Mozzie. He decided that he was going to blow Bryce's cover.

However, he also wasn't going to call him 'Neal'.

The corner of his mouth twitched, letting Bryce know there weren't many hard feelings.

"Hi, Nick."

Bryce unfroze even though he doesn't know exactly what to say. Chuck took over again. He turned towards Hughes.

"Hi, Charles Carmichael of Carmichael Industries. I assume you're Beckman's contact?"

Ignoring the strange moment which seemed to pass between Chuck and Neal, Hughes stepped forward and confirmed that.

Peter was not so willing to let it go. "So you've met Neal before?"

"Yes. May I speak to Nick alone?"

The two agents shared a look. Peter gave a small shake of his head.

"We're really rather you didn't," Hughes said.

Neal sighed. "Peter, it's fine."

Peter frowned but nodded and consented. Chuck was glad to see that they were protecting him.

"There goes the impartiality of this team," Hughes frowned.

"That's probably true. For me only though," Chuck pointed out. "As long as the rest of my team doesn't see him, they shouldn't be able to connect the dots. They will judge him on actions alone."

"What's going on?" Peter wanted to know. He asked Neal, in a less than demanding tone but one which still wanted an answer.

Neal explained, "they know me, but by a name you don't know. It's a name you never connected to me. Just as they won't be able to connect the name you know me by to the name they do. As long as they don't see me."

Hughes wasn't pleased but he seemed placated for the moment as he went back to his office.

Bryce has a moment where he realised that this is his chance to let Peter know about who he is. Peter had asked. At that time, Neal had told him an edited account, taking Chuck out.

At the same time, Bryce needed to bring Chuck up to speed. He couldn't do that with Peter in the room. Not only would there be references to crimes they pulled off together but there would also be government secrets passing between them.

The agent apart of Bryce won out. He couldn't let Peter know at this point. Chuck would probably want to know how he survived first.

Peter gives Bryce one last look before moving back to his office, leaving Chuck and Bryce alone.

* * *

Chuck and Bryce shared a look before moving in sync to search the room for bug. The last thing they needed was the FBI overhearing their conversation. Once they could be sure no one was listening, the took seats at the table across from each other.

Bryce is pretty silent so Chuck took it upon himself to fill the silence.

"I see you're alive. It's funny actually, I thought this had something to do with Mozzie. You weren't really an option."

Bryce gave him a small smile at that and responded with, "who do you think helped me with this? Mozzie is still hanging around."

"Why would Mozzie hang out with you, if you're working with the FBI?"

They mused on this for a moment before Bryce responded, "maybe we underestimated his level of loyalty to us."

Silence filled the room again as they both thought about the last time they had been in New York. Back when they had been close, almost like brothers. The atmosphere of the room was more comfortable than before but still slightly tense. Chuck decided that maybe he could ask his question now.

"Nick, how did you end up here? As Neal?" Chuck could see on his face that Bryce was smug about this.

"You know that the FBI didn't suspect that we were a three man team, unless they thought the third person was Kate."

Chuck's face fell a little at the mention of Kate. He didn't really like her and he knew that Mozzie agreed with him on that.

Kate and Nick didn't really fit. Kate was everything Bryce probably wanted but their relationship wasn't going anywhere. They were vastly different people and she knew only Nick or Neal; Chuck never regained the lost respect for her from how she assumed him to be a friend of no consequence and never asked his name and just assumed that Neal was another of Nick's aliases.

A thought occurred to him, a result of thinking about the past.

"Don't tell me I was as bad with Jill as you were with Kate."

Bryce winced because, yeah, Chuck had been. That expression had made it difficult to lie to Chuck.

But, contrary to the reaction Bryce thought he would have, Chuck found this amusing and laughed. Bryce couldn't help smiling in turn.

They knew the FBI didn't suspect Chuck's involvement. They had thought that Neal and Nick were the same person. The Piranha's crimes had been swept under the rug by the emergence of Neal Caffrey.

Bryce took a few months off from the CIA and got himself arrested. He used CIA resources to get himself out of the prison without anyone noticing. It was a success, Peter and the FBI believed Neal Caffrey to be in prison.

"I only returned to this ID after the intersect room," Bryce finished his explanation.

Chuck sort of understood. He had seen a lot since his last meeting with Bryce. He had met people, both good and bad, who had wanted out of the CIA and death seemed to achieve that. It was not a good thought.

* * *

Back in the bullpen, Casey, Sarah and Morgan had gathered up the files on Neal Caffrey.

Morgan had the smallest stack in his arms and Casey had the biggest. They stacked them on what seemed to be an unoccupied desk near the entry; only to learn that it was Neal's desk.

Hearing that, Morgan couldn't not look through the desk. In full view of the FBI, he started opening things and making comments. Especially when he reached the tie drawer.

He pulled out a couple of ties, causing all the drawer's contents to pop out and go everywhere.

There was a simultaneous wince from the FBI. Casey, Morgan and Sarah didn't understand that. Morgan floundered and apologised.

At that moment, Peter Burke came up.

"Now we're going to have to listen to Neal complain all afternoon," he sighed, although he didn't seem angry with them. They turned to stare at him and he continued, "I see you're the rest of Carmichael's team."

Sarah nodded and held out her hand. "I'm Sarah Carmichael, his wife and partner. That's Casey and the one with the ties is Michael Carmichael."

Peter asked, "does the name 'Nick' mean anything to you?"

Sarah and Casey shared a look and Morgan's voice piped up with;

"I knew a Nick in high school, wore glasses, had braces and was the only guy shorter than me. Other than that, no."

Peter's reaction was one of resignation. To him, it seemed that Chuck had been telling the truth and the team didn't know 'Nick'.

* * *

"So, why does Charles call you 'Nick' all the time?" Peter asked Bryce that evening at the dinner table.

Mozzie and El, who had been having their own conversation, paused to listen. They both were gossips and this sounded like juicy information.

"Who's Charles?" Mozzie added.

"He's the leader of the team Hughes hired to look into whether Neal should get commutation," Peter explained.

"Don't worry about why he calls me that," Bryce informed Peter.

Peter dropped the question but only for the moment. They returned to dinner, although El and Mozzie couldn't ignore this either. El started directing questions towards work, which lead to a description of the team.

"Sounds like an interesting group of people," she commented as he husband described 'the other leader', 'the man who looked like a Marshal' and 'the moron, according to the previous man'.

"Moron sounds about right," Bryce muttered under his breath, where no one noticed.

There was a knock at the door.

"Mozzie, could you get that?" El asked as she had started to clear the table and her hands were full. Bryce had tried to help but had been waved off.

A moment later, there was a shocked cry from the entryway.

"MOZZIE?"

Mozzie came rushing back into the dining room, heading straight for the back door.

"Nick, it's him!" Mozzie said as he hesitated at the door. He glanced over at Bryce to see he wasn't surprised. As Chuck stopped at the entrance to the dining room, Mozzie frowned and closed the back door.

"And you knew. He's Charles." Bryce nodded. Mozzie glared at Chuck. "You didn't think to contact me?"

Chuck shrugged. "My numbers for you are years out of date. Anyway, nice to see you again Mozzie."

"Where did you go? You and Nick vanished into the system-"

"We went back to college," Chuck reminded him with a sigh.

"And I didn't see Nick again until he came up with his stupid 'get Neal arrested plan'."

Bryce grinned at the surprised look on Peter's face. "Told you I basically turned myself in."

Peter wasn't pleased with that but at least he didn't look like a fish out of water.

"Okay, now why is Neal, 'Nick' all of a sudden?" Peter asked Mozzie.

Mozzie grinned. "Can't say."

"Allegedly, there once were three people. Neal and Nick were just hanging out in New York when they met Mozzie."

'Hanging out,' Bryce mouthed doing finger quotes to indicate that they had been doing more than that. Stuff on the more illegal side of things.

Chuck shrugged, "admittedly, Neal got them noticed by the FBI and it was not by meeting with a certain agent outside a bank." Chuck gave Peter a pointed look.

Peter groaned as he put the pieces together.

"Are you Nick or Neal?" El asked Chuck.

Chuck grinned. "Hi, I'm Neal Caffrey. The first Neal Caffrey, before Nick Halden started using the name."

"Except Nick and Neal aren't either of your real names," Peter reminded them, realising that 'Charles Carmichael' was probably false as well.

"What makes a name 'real'?" Chuck asked him. "My wife doesn't use her birth name but Sarah is the name she would consider 'real' because it's the name she meet and later married me under."

Mozzie frowned at Chuck. "Married?"

Bryce grinned and his tone was much more cheerful as he echoed, "married?"

Chuck showed them his finger and the gold band on it.

"Congratulations!" Bryce said happily. The better man won the hand of the lovely spy, Sarah. He should have expected it but part of him had always been sceptical of Chuck's and Sarah's relationship. After all, spy relationships rarely ended well.

Peter was surprised to see Bryce being earnest about this. He hadn't seen Neal be that happy for someone before.

"Hopeless romantic," he teased the younger man.

Bryce shrugged, "guilty as charged."

"Neal and Nick really aren't your real names?" Mozzie questioned the two. He had noticed that neither Chuck nor Bryce had said otherwise when Peter asked.

They received two very similar grins in response.

"I thought you knew that already," Chuck said to Mozzie.

"I'd say Neal is more my name now though," Bryce commented with a grin at Chuck.

"Nope."

"But-"

"My name. My alias."

"No one calls you by it!"

"Still mine," Chuck finished. Everyone at the table was grinning at the childish display.

* * *

Peter lay awake that night, contemplating the mystery that was Neal Caffrey. Or, what he knew now as, the mystery of Neal Caffrey and Nick Halden.

How had he not noticed a four man team? The FBI had suspected Mozzie's involvement without even getting a glimpse of the mysterious other member. Kate was in their eye as much as Neal, or Nick, was. The other one, the first Neal Caffrey, seemed to come out of nowhere.

El rolled over and sighed, seeing him still awake.

"Is this about Neal?"

"Which one?" Peter questioned in response.

"Our Neal. Or is it about the other Neal?"

"Both. Just, I never knew he existed. And, does he exist? What if this was some kind of plan or joke on Neal's part?"

"Didn't you say the team was hired by Hughes?" El questioned in a sleepy tone. When Peter nodded, she added, "maybe he knows more about it?"

* * *

Hughes could only tell Peter that the team was legit and that they had backgrounds in another agencies. The other 'alphabet agencies'. Hughes couldn't shed light on which ones, even though Peter had his suspicions.

That just left Peter with more questions.

* * *

While Carmichael Industries was looking into Neal Caffrey, Bryce was not allowed into the office. This was at Chuck's request and Hughes' order. Chuck's team only needed to make the decision off the information provided and didn't need to meet Bryce.

Two days after the team started, Kramer came out of Hughes' office with a distasteful expression. He had tried to complain about using outside resources for what was an internal issue. Quickly, he realised that wouldn't work when Hughes pointed out that, one, this wasn't an internal issue as it would affect more than the FBI and, two, he had called in a few favours to get this team and they were a good team.

* * *

Chuck didn't have a difficult time explaining why he didn't take part in the explanation. He had gone in with the plan that, should all else fail, he could just use the Intersect as a reason to not involve himself.

Before he went to Peter's, Chuck told them that he could not take part in this mission. They were surprised, especially Casey who commented about how this mission seemed right up Chuck's alley with the information and the criminals and an excited Morgan. Sarah wanted to know why.

"I have history with a few people involved and have bias," Chuck explained hesitantly and nervously.

He got a few curious looks but he tapped his head, letting them jump to the conclusion that the Intersect is playing some kind of role in this.

"Besides, this is a good chance to improve Morgan's investigative skills. No guns or life endangerment going on."

It was also a good chance to see if they picked up on 'Neal Caffrey' not actually being Neal Caffrey without Chuck giving them any hints. He had to admit that he and Bryce did not make it an easy thing to notice.

* * *

The investigation continued. Sarah, Casey and Morgan hauled themselves up in an FBI room put aside for visiting agents while they investigated. Chuck spent time with Bryce.

Chuck also put a little time into investigating Kramer. Kramer was good at his job, however, Chuck was good at putting pieces together.

Chuck checked in with the FBI office in DC. Why was a DC agent getting involved in a New York matter? His only connection to this case was through Peter and that was a mentor, student kind of relationship. Not one which gave Kramer's presence here precedence over his work in DC.

As Chuck did that, Kramer managed to put together the information to locate the Raphael painting 'St George and the Dragon'. A painting the insurance recovery agent, Sara Ellis had been chasing Bryce for.

They were right. Neal Caffrey did take the painting but not the 'Neal' they all thought was Neal. It hadn't been Nick.

It had been Chuck. The original Neal.

Some offhanded comments from Mozzie and Nick, which led to Neal taking a bet which lead to him taking the painting. Chuck did regret it but, since the painting had been given to Nick as evidence of Neal winning the bet, he had considered it out of his hands.

Nick; Bryce, had hidden the painting.

Kramer figured out where the painting was and Chuck realised that this was the perfect chance to return the painting.

A call to Bryce and Chuck had the address. He moved the instant he had the information.

* * *

Ellen was a lovely woman. She had invited Chuck in once he proved he was Neal. According to her, he had grown up quite a bit since their last meeting. There had been tea and a parcel that Kate had given to her.

It would be just like Nick to give the painting to a girl, Chuck thought with a fond grin.

Chuck caught Ellen up on what had been happening since he hadn't seen her since the last time he had been in New York with Nick. Nick was Ellen's nephew and she knew Bryce as well as Nick, although she was sworn to secrecy. Ellen had been close to Bryce as he grew up.

Chuck had to rush out of there in a ride curtsey of Mozzie. He loved the ambulance siren although he was forced to remember why he didn't like getting into a car with Mozzie driving.

Mozzie got him there and that's all Chuck wanted to say about that. At least he didn't have to throw up in the garden or anything this time.

The painting reached Sara on time. Chuck grinned at Kramer, who looked furious with him.

* * *

Kramer decided to make the claim that Neal had broken his parole by associating with Chuck. He smugly revealed his plan to Peter.

"Neal's got a lot of skeletons. I'll pick one, slap that anklet on him, and he'll work for me in D.C. permanently. You understand this is best for everyone, don't you?"

Peter was disgusted. Yes, Neal had a lot of skeletons but they were in the past. He was finally starting to make a life for himself here and Kramer wanted to make him a slave in another city where he had no support.

"Don't you?"

"I have a statement to make," Peter sneered, storming past Kramer. He could only hope that Chuck's team could find something to help Neal.

* * *

**Then**

The young man sat at the table, fidgeting and looking really nervous. Peter couldn't help feeling sorry for the kid. He had been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Dark, almost curly hair flopped across his eyes while the untamed mass on the kid's head looked a little like funny animal shapes.

He jumped as Peter entered the room.

"S-sorry," he stammered. "I still don't know exactly what I'm doing here. Someone said something about a forgery? I don't know much about art, I'm sorry."

Peter couldn't help smiling as little as he sat down. "If you don't know much about art, what were you doing in the museum?"

"My roommate, he really likes art. And I have no idea what he's talking about most of the time. But, we're best friends so I thought I would learn." The young man looked downcast. "It didn't help, I still don't know much."

Peter sympathised. El was always trying to teach him 'cultured stuff'. It didn't stick.

"Look, all we need to know is if you saw this person," Peter pulled out a picture of Neal from a sketch artist and placed it in front of the young man.

He stared at it, brown eyes dark with concentration.

"No? Although, maybe? I think I might have seen him near the entrance, no. Sorry, he was in front of that one painting with the reds and greens. I can't remember what it was called. Or it wasn't him. I can't remember if that guy had hair like that, I'm sure it was shorter. Or longer."

Peter let the kid ramble for a few more moments before stopping him.

"Thanks, we'll take it from here," he said, trying to hide his disappointment. With so many inconsistencies in his speech, this young man would be an unreliable witness. They wouldn't catch Caffrey this way.

"Oh. Okay."

"What's your name?" Peter asked as he showed the kid out.

"…Bartowski. Steve Bartowski."

* * *

**Now**

The panel was about to announce their decision. The last group to go was Carmichael's team, minus Charles. Peter found him standing with Bryce, animatedly chatting.

"We've met before now, haven't we?" he said once he reached them.

"What?" Bryce questioned, looking between Peter and Chuck.

"Maybe," Chuck responded with a grin.

"'Steve Bartowski'. Ring a bell?"

Chuck's grin widened. "It does. The Steve comes from my dad's name 'Stephen' and Bartowski happens to be my real last name."

"Chuck Bartowski," Peter said, enjoying the shocked looks he got from the two. "I have my ways." He had searched for variations of Steve Bartowski and found a couple, but only one with a connection to a 'Charles'. It was a guess but it appears to have been correct.

"I can't believe you met with Peter," Bryce said to Chuck.

"You got to," Chuck responded. "I wanted to meet him as well."

Peter shook his head. These two were trouble.

But not as much trouble as the man who walked through the door. Kramer stood with a group of agents around him, looking smug.

Chuck's expression turned serious, as did Bryce's.

"I don't like him," Chuck announced.

"You and me both," Bryce added.

Peter sighed. "I'm sorry I brought him into our lives. He was a good man."

"Maybe once," Chuck said. "But 'good men' do go bad." Kramer would have a surprise when he got back to DC. The spyware and malware Chuck had put into the FBI computers all those years ago was finally coming in handy.

Peter noticed the sad look Bryce momentarily gave to Chuck. Bryce actually cared about this man. Peter thought that might be a good thing.

"Time to find out," El breathed in excitement.

"I think you're more excited than I am," Bryce chuckled as he went back into the room. They had to wait outside as Bryce received his judgement alone.

* * *

Bryce walked out of the room and those gathered collectively held their breath. He grinned at Peter, Chuck and El as he lifted up his pant leg.

It was bare.

El screamed and wrapped him in a celebratory hug.

"Congratulations," Chuck said.

"So, what now?" Peter asked Bryce.

Bryce grinned. "I have a plan."

* * *

Chuck had brought his team back on Monday, in order to meet the newly freed ex-conman. Morgan had insisted and he made good arguments for it. Their work had helped this guy become a free man so, shouldn't they at least know what he looks like?

They walked into the office to hear Agent Kramer's voice.

"I don't know what you did but, it's not doing your CI any favours. You'll be slapping the cuff back on him in a year... if you can catch him that is." After a pause, he added, "I tried to help you."

The team watched as Hughes walked up to Kramer.

"It is not a forgone conclusion," Hughes said.

The agents went quiet, everyone watching and wondering.

"Let him walk through the door then!" Kramer huffed.

"Let who walk through the door?" Bryce questioned, his voice carrying across the silence. He was standing next to Chuck, having walked in around the time Hughes started talking. The stares moved from Kramer and Hughes to Bryce.

He was standing there in slacks and a white shirt, with a jacket folded over his arm.

"What?" he questioned, tilting his head in a confused manner. However, Chuck knew the slight, almost pleasant, smile on his face was because he was enjoying this. Bryce knew exactly the kind of reaction he was causing for everyone; ranging from shock to bafflement. Bryce turned to Peter. "I told you I would turn up on Monday, no matter what the result was."

"That's Neal Caffrey?" Morgan questioned in a baffled tone, looking between the members of his team.

"Actually, I'm Nick Halden," Bryce said with a grin. Morgan nodded as if this was perfectly normal. "Neal Caffrey was a friend of mine. Great guy."

Kramer's face turned an interesting shade of red. Sarah glanced at Chuck. It wasn't like Bryce had a lot of friends, but she had to admit she didn't know much about 'Nick Halden'.

Casey hit Morgan over the head. "Idiot."

"We need to talk," Sarah said to Bryce, with a silent requesting look at Hughes.

Hughes nodded and turned to Peter. "Peter, join us in the conference room."

"'Us'?" Chuck echoed.

Bryce grinned at him. "Come on."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "And here I was going to ask you to join Carmichael Industries."

Bryce made a show of thinking about it before frowning. "No way. I don't like California. At all."

"Maybe that's because you're supposed to be buried there," Casey grumbled under his breath as they walked up the stairs.

"So, Neal Caffrey?" Sarah asked as soon as they were inside. She did give Peter and Hughes a cursory glance but Bryce didn't consider their presence a deterrent from explaining.

He kept it simple though. He didn't die and Neal Caffrey was an alias he could assume.

Chuck snorted at that.

"Then, why did you say you're actually Nick Halden?" Sarah asked.

"Because I'm Neal Caffrey," Chuck said. "The FBI never caught on that Neal Caffrey was a hacker not a con man."

"A hacker?" Peter questioned in shock.

"Maybe a little con man," Chuck reevaluated.

"Don't worry," Morgan said to him. "Chuck only uses his hacking powers for good now."

"Yeah, 'now'," Bryce snorted.

* * *

It was difficult to figure out how they felt about this. Chuck and Bryce seemed to be the only ones who fully knew what was going on. Sarah was more shocked that Chuck had a whole alias he had hidden from her but, she couldn't say she hadn't done the same.

Morgan was just impressed with his friend. He could ignore Bryce's presence for now. Especially since Casey was sneering and frustrated by Bryce enough for the both of them.

Hughes knew enough though. He pulled out a yellow envelope and passed it to Bryce.

"What's that?" Chuck asked, curious.

Peter stared at the envelope. He had seen a lot of them pass through the office but, couldn't believe that one was being handed to Bryce.

"Reese-"

"I know what I'm doing Peter," Hughes reminded him. Falling out of the envelope was a badge. An FBI badge. With the name 'Bryce Larkin' printed on it.

"How?"

"I happen to know Diane Beckman," Hughes informed him. "She owes me a couple of favours."

"And why wouldn't you use them to poach her agents?" Peter questioned rhetorically, having seen this behaviour before. Hughes was a good head-hunter, it was why the White Collar division had a number of good agents.

Bryce had spoken to Hughes about formal employment with the FBI but hadn't expected him to go that far.

"But, how did she know it was me?"

"I sent her a picture of you after Carmichael's reaction to your appearance," Hughes explained. "You'll be partnered with Burke. Congratulations, Agent Larkin."

"Agent Larkin?" Peter questioned, edging around to look at the badge. It was a whole new name he would have to look into.

Casey huffed a chuckle, which turned into a growling cough. "Always thought you were FBI material, Larkin."

"Peter's team is good," Bryce snapped back at Casey.

He realised something after Sarah and Chuck's congratulations. He paused, a look of horror on his face.

"Wait… does this mean I have to recover all of Neal and Nick's 'acquired items'?" In all honesty, Bryce hadn't been able to give back the things Neal stole because they were all under Chuck's care. Which meant that Bryce had no idea where everything was being stored. It was for his protection and he did get to keep some things, most worth more than many people made in five years.

Peter groaned, really hoping that this partnership wouldn't be like this all the time. He shouldn't have to worry about the agents under his command doing crimes.

Chuck had a great suggestion for that, "give them to Mozzie."

"No," Peter stated.

"I assume this 'Mozzie' is a criminal," Sarah said to Chuck. "Don't you think that's a little irresponsible?"

Chuck shrugged. "It'd certainly make up for how both of us ended up as Feds."

Bryce looked down at the badge in his hands. Yeah, Mozzie was not going to believe this.

* * *

Mozzie, ever the independent spy lover, was brought into Carmichael Industries as an asset, in return for their protection from the CIA and FBI.

The picture of Kramer's face when Bryce told him that he was now a full-fledged FBI agent; the slack disbelief and silent fury, also helped. Mozzie suggested getting it framed. But, it was nothing compared to the images sent to Mozzie's email a few days later; Kramer's face after returning to find his computer files erased and parts of his history and files sent to IT and his bosses.


End file.
